We need props to increase engagement with Shakespeare's plays. These include tartan fabric for Macbeth costumes, a variety of foam swords, fairy wings, witch hats, and many other items.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Eletz's classroom raised $384
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
About My Students
I'm so excited to introduce this project! Nichole, one of my students from last year, is my teaching assistant this year. This year, Nichole recruited four of my new tenth grade students, Melissa, Jaz, Naomi, and Jaylein, to help write this request for props!
Last year, Nichole's adaptation of the final scene of "Othello" was incredibly inventive: she and her team reimagined the play's climax in a modern day police interrogation room.
I am a firm believer that dramatic works are written to be performed. Every year, we perform scenes from works of literature that we're reading as a class, and each year, students come up with new ways of modernizing, personalizing, and engaging with classical texts. It's sometimes hard for students to experience the excitement of a Shakespearean scene unless they can take part in the swordplay.
But my students tire of rolled up chart paper. Each year, my students ask for better props. We'll use these foam swords, costume materials, and banquet props to strengthen our performances and to better illustrate differences in characters. When I approached Nichole about a project this year, she was immediately excited about the possibility of stronger performances and in-class activities.
By working together with challenging texts like "Macbeth," "Othello," and "A Raisin in the Sun," students will work to decipher unfamiliar words, collaborate with others, and envision a part of a powerful work of literature as something that is truly their own.
In Their Own Words
The use of props would allow me and my classmates to fully connect with the characters who we are trying to mimic. And by fully connecting with the characters, we will better understand the author’s purpose and theme of the book. This is because for most students, being able to see something visually played out is better than reading words off a page. So while this isn’t a theater class, I can assure you that the use of props will definitely benefit us academically.
We definitely feel like, as students, we have to take charge when it comes to our education. It's easy to learn something, but to be able to decipher it in a way where it's easy for you to understand it and for you to apply it to your everyday life, that's ultimately what makes you. In this case, by earning the necessary tools that we need to actually contribute to the way we learn will definitely help us. Bringing this project to life will be the act of bringing to life our very own education.
As students who are very passionate about reading and writing, we feel like books can really connect with a reader's emotion. Receiving props for plays or classrooms performances not only excites us to read, but also brings the book to life allowing us to really understand an author's purpose, or maybe even discover something about ourselves. We would love it if our classmates got the chance to feel impassioned about reading, and with these props, we can get everyone involved.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Eletz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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